(FUT) 2900 Grafts w/ Dr. Scott Alexander

[KeeperOfTheGrove]

I started life with a large forehead and a hairline that pushed up on the sides like someone's hair would typically look in their mid 30's. It didn't look bad, but I was essentially at a point where any amount of loss was going to make it look like I was starting to go bald. I first noticed my hairline pushing back when I was 17 and I noticed thinning across the whole top when I was 21. That's the bad news. The good news is that I am lucky that my hair loss to this point has been very slow and gradual. I am now 35 years old and I finally decided to start battling it because it finally started to really bother me. My hair no longer looks decent no matter what I do and I no longer get conflicting opinions about whether or not I am losing my hair. By now it's obvious to everyone.

I did a massive amount of research over the last 8 months and consulted with Spex (well-known on these forums) over the last couple of months. The thing that bothered me the most (and was the worst) was my hairline so I decided that was what I wanted to address first. There are really no effective treatments for the hairline besides surgical options so that's where I began my journey. I went in for a FUT HT (2900 grafts in the frontal 3rd) 19 days ago with Dr. Scott Alexander. I chose Dr. Alexander after researching for months and decided he was the best option for me. My hairline has been restored and right now my hair in the front looks like it did when I was 16! The downside is I am about to begin the shed and go through the post-op ugly duckling phase. I am hopeful that in 9-12 months I will be very thrilled with the result. Everything seems to be going according to plan so far.

If you are like me (or practically anyone else for that matter) considering that first surgery is terrifying. I never thought I would take that step. I always just figured once it looked bad I would embrace the shaved head, but I don't pull that look off very well. My HT was actually the first surgery I have ever had in my life (it was even my first stitches). It was the first time I have ever even taken a real pain pill! Needless to say I have had good luck in that area. But that made it ever scarier. I wondered so many things. Would it work? Would it hurt? How bad was the whole process going to be? Would it be worth the money? Would it be worth the downtime? And so many more questions. And the money was especially a big deal to me because I don't have the funds available to do things like this. It was a massive stretch of my budget. Here's what happened...

Spex answered all of my questions up front and regularly emailed me back within minutes even at 1am. I couldn't believe how responsive he was. When I contacted the doctor's office I had no issues with scheduling or communication so everything was on track. Crissi was amazing and let me bug her all the time with questions before and after the procedure. They gave me instructions to follow for the two weeks leading up to the procedure. Once I was there the day went by pretty quickly. I actually slept through most of the first half of the procedure! The second half wasn't as pleasant, but it wasn't much worse than a long trip to the dentist (small price to pay for hair, right?) It's not exactly as day at Disneyland, but it wasn't anything to be afraid of either. I will say that the pain I felt the first night after the procedure was pretty bad. I resisted taking my pain medication and I thought I could get by with Tylenol. I was very wrong. If I ever end up needing a second HT I will be smarter and stay ahead of the pain. The good news is the pain was mostly gone by the next morning. I only took one more pain pill so I could sleep the second night. I did take Tylenol twice a day for about a week afterwards and my back hurt a lot from trying to sleep propped up. I had quite a bit of swelling (normal) and that was gone by day 5 or 6. It's now day 19 and I am completely back to normal. On day 9 I had to return to work (luckily I can wear a hat all day at work) and nobody could tell I had anything done. If you can't wear a hat and don't want anyone to know you may need up to 3 weeks away from work to completely hide it (at least that's my guess).

I don't think it could have gone any better for me. Dr. Alexander was great to work with and if I need another HT, he will be my choice. The only thing left to do now is wait and see how I look in 9-12 months. That will be the true test of if it was all worth it. My wife already said she can't believe how good my scar looks. She used to work in the medical field and she was stunned by how small it looks. And it's supposed to look a lot better in four months so I think the scar will be a non-issue for me.

I struggled for a long time with this decision, but 19 days post-op I believe I made the right call. I am lucky so far in that I haven't shed more than a few grafts. I assume the shed is still on its way, but I am glad it's lasted this long already. I shaved the rest of my hair on day 17 to try to even things out. I shaved it using a 2-guard. The top is still shorter than the rest, but it looks pretty good. I attached the photo from right after I cut my hair on day 17. I can't tell you how long it's been since I was excited about my hair! I am going to begin Rogaine foam soon and I am considering Saw Palmetto complex. I am still not willing to take the plunge on Propecia because I not comfortable with the amount of research I've done. I am someone who gets all the negative side effects from prescription drugs taken orally so I am being extra cautious there. I hope my story helps you in some way and I wish you the best of luck on your journey. All I can say since you are on the forum already you probably realized by now that you are not alone. Let me know if I can answer any questions or help you in any way. I am not affiliated with any doctors or companies so I will get you my unbiased opinion on my experience and my research. Best wishes to you.